Peachtree Corners – the nation’s first smart city environment powered by real-world infrastructure and next-generation connectivity – today unveiled the city’s new solar roadway system which produces energy for a solar-powered EV charging station located at city hall. The installation also marked the first road surface-powered solar panels to be activated in a United States city.
- The solar roadway is located in a section of Technology Parkway’s autonomous vehicle test lane and was provided to the city through a partnership with The Ray, a nonprofit living laboratory and proving ground located along an 18-mile stretch of Interstate 85 spanning between LaGrange and the Georgia/Alabama state line.
- The new system at Peachtree Corners will produce more than 1,300 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually for a Level 2 EV charger at city hall at no cost to EV motorists. The charger is also equipped with an energy storage system for nighttime charging.
- The Wattway solar roadway panels, manufactured by French transportation innovator Colas Group in partnership with the French National Solar Energy Institute, were engineered to be more durable and efficient – resulting in a 21 percent performance increase over previously deployed panels.
The Ray was a 2018 Finalist for the Fast Company “World Changing Ideas Award,” and was featured on The Weather Channel as one of “Ten Best Ways to Save the Planet!”
Situated alongside the Chattahoochee River and at the southwest corner of Gwinnett County in the metro Atlanta area, Peachtree Corners, Georgia is a vibrant municipality that’s home to more than 40,000 residents and an innovation hub that houses some of the world’s most disruptive technology companies. As the United States’ premiere smart city – powered by real-world connected infrastructure – Peachtree Corners serves as the model for how government and private industry can better collaborate to create a better future for society and business. From the world’s first fleet of teleoperated e-scooters deployed, a fully autonomous shuttle utilized by actual residents, a solar roadway to the largest electric vehicle charging hub in the region, Peachtree Corners is where the most future-forward Internet of Things (IoT) and sustainable technologies come to life for the benefit of its people, and the world. For more information, visit